A early morning kitchenette fire Thursday in Buchanan Hall is just one of several recent incidents that could have been caused by arson, according to residents.

Nicole Dorrell, community assistant in Buchanan, said the most recent alarm went off at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

She said someone had apparently poured oil in the oven and closed the doors of the fourth floor kitchenette. Glue had also been placed in the locks of the doors of the kitchenette, she said.

On Friday, an awareness letter was sent out to Buchanan Hall residents by Balsy Kasi, hall director of Buchanan, informing them of the fires and penalties for arson. It also asked residents for information leading to a suspect.

Last week’s fire was not the first such incident in Buchanan. Dorrell said the hall has been locking their kitchenettes this semester, due to several fires last fall that appeared to be intentionally set.

“Someone’s deliberately looking [to start a fire], that’s my opinion,” she said.

The main doors of Buchanan Hall lock at 7 p.m. every night, but until recent months the kitchenettes remained open all night. After several fires, some caused by neglected food and others apparently by arsonists, community assistants began locking the kitchenettes at 11 p.m.

“It’s unfair for the students that come in late and would like to eat,” Dorrell said. “If we have a fire started in the dorm, we need to take precautions so that [it doesn’t happen] again.”

She said community assistants normally do their rounds to check kitchens, dens and study rooms, and lock the kitchen doors at 11 p.m.

The kitchenette doors were not locked at the usual time on April 15, and a fire was set.

“That was the first time [the door wasn’t locked] in months, and we had a fire,” she said.

Loras Jaeger, director of the Department of Public Safety, said there were no substantial leads on who had set the fire.

“There’s certainly some suspicion that they aren’t just accidental,” Jaeger said.

He said the fires had been small and had been put out by the time DPS arrived on the scene.

The actual fires may not be very large, but Director of Residence Randy Alexander said he is taking the matter very seriously.

“I have got to believe that if someone were to be found guilty of this, the penalty would be pretty severe,” Alexander said. “I can’t imagine them remaining a resident of Buchanan Hall, and maybe even as a student.”

He said an investigation is ongoing, but he was not aware of any leads.

Officials said they have had difficulty identifying a suspect, because most are set late at night, when no one is around to witness.

Alexander said cameras would not be installed in Buchanan in an attempt to catch the arsonist.

“I don’t think people want to live in that kind of environment,” he said.

Dorrell said the arsonist is probably a resident of the hall because of the kitchenettes’ limited access.

“It was someone getting up in the middle of the night,” she said.

The locks on the doors that had been glued had to be replaced each time, and Alexander said he was concerned about the student money wasted to repair the damaged locks.

“Anything like that which damages property is a serious matter,” he said. “It’s student dollars that are involved in addressing problems like that.”

Although the person setting the fires may see them as a joke, penalties for the arsonist will be severe.

Jaeger said charges of “reckless use of fire” would most likely be filed.

Depending on the severity of criminal charges, Alexander said the residence hall system may not need to take formal action.

“There wouldn’t be any need to remove somebody from the hall if they’re in jail,” he said.

If a resident was identified as starting the fires, he or she would be removed from Buchanan, Alexander said.

Although the arsonist may not mean to cause any serious damage with the fires, he said the implications are serious.

“Perhaps the person that is doing this doesn’t see it was a serious activity,” he said. “They should reconsider that.”

Dorrell agreed the fire-setter needs to realize the impact of his or her actions.

“It’s a little annoying at 1:35 in the morning to be awakened out of your sleep because someone’s doing a prank,” she said.

“I hope this person realizes the seriousness of the crimes they’re committing,” Dorrell said.